Police in Wakkerstroom arrested a suspect, aged 38 in connection with double murder incident that occurred at Wakkerstroom and was discovered in the morning of Sunday, 23 February 2025. The victims are a 32-year-old male as well as a 39-year-old female.
According to a report, the female victim’s children woke up in the morning of the said day around 07:00 and when they tried to enter their mother’s room, they realised that it was locked. There was no response from her and the children are said to have peeped through the window and noticed that their mother was lying motionless in bed. The neighbours were alerted and it was during this time when they discovered there seems to be no sign of life for both victims.
Police and Emergency Medical Services were notified about the murder incident and upon arrival at the scene, the male victim had some visible injuries whilst the female victim had no visible injuries. The two were unfortunately certified dead by the Medical personnel. Preliminary investigation by the Police suggests that the female victim could have been strangled whilst the male victim appear to have been stabbed. Police also discovered that she was half-naked.
A case with two counts of murder has been opened and the family members of the two victims were notified. The motive behind the murders is unknown at this stage.
The hard work by the Police where they traced the suspect and arrested him soon after the incident. The suspect is expected to appear at the Volksrust Magistrate’s Court on 25 February 2025 facing the two counts of murder.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr.) Zeph Mkhwanazi, has condemned the incident. The General further urged community members to seek professional help whenever they face domestic challenges and disputes instead of resorting to violence. “We applaud members of the SAPS for their swift arrest of the suspect and we are adamant that justice will be served for the two victims, ” said the General.